Container for liquids

ABSTRACT

An open topped container (1) for liquids such as paint, which container is provided with a pivotally mounted carrying handle(5), wherein the handle is pivotally mounted substantially off-center with respect to the container body (2), whereby when a user holds the container suspended by the handle (5), at least a major part of the open top of the container (1) is unobstructed by the presence of the handle (5) and the user&#39;s hand. A wide pouring channel (9) is provided located so that any paint left on the channel (9) after pouring drains back into the container (1) as the container (1) is subsequently held by the handle (5) in readiness for painting.

This invention relates to containers for surface coating materials, suchas paint.

The invention is concerned with the problem of making handled paintcontainers, for example, more practical in use.

According to the present invention there is provided a container forsurface coating materials comprising an open-topped container body andprovided with a pivotally mounted carrying handle at the open topmounted substantially off-center with respect to the container body sothat when a user holds the container suspended by the handle at least %major part of the open top of the container is unobstructed by thepresence of the handle and the user's hand, wherein the container has atleast one pair of opposite sides which are straight and mutuallyparallel and the handle extends between said sides, characterised inthat the container body is made of plastics material and comprises athin-walled lower container body part provided around its open top witha separately formed plastics shroud part which externally forms anupward continuation and termination of the container body wall andinternally defines an opening to receive a circular lid for thecontainer in plug fashion, and further characterised in that the handleis pivoted in the shroud part in a position and manner so that when thecontainer is suspended by the handle it tips so as to increase the saidmajor unobstructed part.

In a preferred form of the invention the container has the shroud partdefining a pouring channel which is uppermost on the container body whenthe container tips when suspended by the handle. The shroud part maydefine a recess to accommodate the handle entirely within the confinesof the shroud.

The lower body part may be transparent or translucent, to render thecontents visible, while the shroud on the other hand is pigmented toserve an identification function.

The invention will now be described further with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a plastics container according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the container;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the container in use, with its lidremoved;

FIG. 4 is another view of the container in use for pouring;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the base of the container;and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a modified embodiment.

A plastics paint container 1 according to the invention has a body 2which is made from PET plastics material. The body 2 is generallyrectangular, in horizontal section, with rounded corners; thisconfiguration provides for comparatively wide and flat display areas onthe container side walls, a wide pouring channel, and well spaced pivotsfor the container handle. The square shape lends itself to correct anduniform orientation of the containers when they are stacked or placed inrows at the point of sale. The upper part of the container comprises aseparately formed plastics shroud 3, firmly secured to the body 2. Theoutside surface of the shroud is flush with the outside surface of thecontainer body so that the shroud forms a smooth upward continuation ofthe body, whilst internally the shroud defines a circular opening toreceive a plug-like lid 4 for the container. A carrying handle 5 of thecontainer is pivotally mounted to the shroud.

The handle 5 is mounted displaced laterally relative to the verticalcenter plane of the container at pivots 5a, so that when the containeris in use, suspended from the handle, as seen in FIG. 3, the containerhangs in a position tipped away from the handle and the user's hand,typically at about 15° to the vertical, with the result that the surfaceof the paint in the container is open to access by a brush 7 to asubstantially greater degree that it would be if the handle had beencentrally mounted.

The shroud is formed with a recess 8 to receive the handle when thelatter is not in use, so that the handle is stowed entirely within thesurface of the shroud, thus facilitating stacking and storage of thecontainer.

The shroud is formed with a pouring channel 9 on the same side of thevertical center plane as the handle, so that the pouring channel is onthe opposite side from that towards which the container tips whensuspended by its handle and the channel 9 becomes uppermost on thecontainer body (FIG. 3). This also gives drainage back into thecontainer when used after pouring.

A brush wiping member 10 (FIG. 3) is incorporated in the shroud. Themember comprises an inner, chord-like bar 11 whose edge defines a linearbrush wiping surface, and a sector-like body portion 12 by way of whichis it mounted to the shroud. In a preferred modification the member 10is shaped so that a straight central part of the bar 11 is elevatedabove the ends of the bar and the arcuate boundary of the body portion12.

Referring to FIG. 5, a recess 13 is provided around the base of thecontainer body, to facilitate handling but the central area 14 of thebase projects downwardly to substantially the same plane as the edges15, so as to provide a central surface on which the container can restif it is stacked on top of another such container in an off-centerposition.

FIG. 6 shows a modification in which the handle 5, when in its stowedposition, is received in a recess 16 defined in the upper side of theshroud, rather than in its top surface. Slots 17 are provided around thelid opening, for the insertion of a tool such as a screw-driver to leverout the lid 18, which in this embodiment is provided with an outwardlydirected rim for this purpose. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 5 the lidhas an inwardly directed rim to enable it to be removed manually by theuser.

I claim:
 1. A container for surface coating materials which can bestacked in rows at a point of sale comprising a container having an openflat top and provided with a carrying handle pivotally mounted at theopen top of the container substantially offcenter with respect to avertical center plane of the container such that when a user holds thecontainer suspended by the pivotally mounted handle the container tipsaway from the handle such that a major part of the open top of thecontainer is unobstructed by the presence of the handle and the user'shand, wherein the container has at least one pair of opposite sideswhich are straight and mutually parallel and the handle extends betweensaid sides, and wherein the container is made of plastic material andcomprises a thinwalled lower container body part having a firmly securedthereto a separately formed plastic upper shroud part which forms anupward external continuation of the lower container body wall and whichincludes said flat open top suitable for stacking, said upper shroudcomprising an opening to receive a circular lid for the container, apouring channel which is uppermost on the container when the containertips during suspension by the handle, and a recess to accommodate thehandle entirely within the confines of the shroud part.
 2. A containeras claimed in claim 1 in which the lower body part is translucent andthe shroud part is pigmented.
 3. A container as claimed in claim 1wherein said recess to accommodate the handle is defined in an upperside of said shroud part short of said flat top termination.
 4. Astackable container for surface coating materials which can be stackedin rows at a point of sale comprising a container having an open flattop and provided with a carrying handle pivotally mounted on thecontainer adjacent the open top of the container for supporting thecontainer and its contents, said pivotally mounted handle being mountedsubstantially off-center with respect to a vertical center plane of thecontainer such that when a user holds the container suspended by thehandle the container tips away from the handle such that a major part ofthe open top of the container is unobstructed by the presence of thehandle and the user's hand, wherein the container has at least one pairof opposite sides which are straight and mutually parallel and thehandle extends between said sides, and wherein the container is made ofplastic material and comprises a thin-walled lower container body parthaving firmly secured thereto a separately formed plastic upper shroudpart which is substantially flush with an outside surface of the lowercontainer body part so as to form a substantially smooth upward externalcontinuation of the lower container body part and which includes saidflat open top of the container, said upper shroud comprising an openingto receive a circular lid for the container, a pouring channel which isuppermost on the container when the container tips during suspension bythe handle, and a recess to accommodate the handle entirely within theconfines of the laterally outermost and uppermost extents of the shroudpart.